Kevin Pietersen text messages 'provoked' - David Collier

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Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen was coaxed into sending text messages about his team-mates to members of the South Africa squad, says England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier.

Pietersen was but after apologising.

"These were responses to messages from members of the South African team. I certainly think that did provoke the situation," Collier told Sportsweek.

"There was definitely a policy. There was a tactic that was used."

A Cricket South Africa representative responded: "That is rubbish. That is not the case at all. No one was trying to rile KP."

Pietersen was left out of the final Test between the countries in August and then

He allegedly sent messages to members of the opposition criticising then England captain Andrew Strauss during the

The messages were not saved to prove the exact wording, so the ECB relied on "binding assurances" from Pietersen that they were not derogatory before accepting his apology and handing him a new four-month contract.

"Those messages were of a nature that Kevin, with definite hindsight, would have refuted straight away and moved on," Collier told BBC Sport.

And the England cricket chief added that the South Africans had to shoulder some responsibility for prompting him to send the texts.

"It is trying to undermine another team and another team ethic. There would probably be mixed feelings [for South Africa]," insisted Collier.

"Certain feelings to say 'maybe it worked', other feelings that 'we actually might have disrupted a player and we would have been unhappy had it been one of ours'.

"But we shouldn't blame the South Africans, we should be above that, we should be able to deal with that and move forward."

Pietersen will undergo a reintegration period involving face-to-face meetings to rebuild trust with the other players.

Team director Andy Flower will then decide when he feels the 32-year-old batsman should return to the squad.

"It was the players themselves who actually said 'we think the time is right now for Kevin to come back into the dressing room'," said Collier. "They're not saying 'we don't like him'.

"When Andy Flower says to me 'I am ready to select this player' I would trust his judgment every single time.

"Andy would not have made the recommendation to me that he wanted us to reconsider Kevin if it had been unmanageable.

"We believe we have got the best team director there's ever been in world cricket and if there's one player who can manage these situations it is Andy Flower.

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54 comments

  • As far as I recall, Giles Clarke advised a few days ago that a line has been drawn under the KP incident and the matter was closed. Now we have David Collier raising it again. What sort of clowns are the ECB hierarchy.

  • Provoked!? How old is Peterson? Take responsibility. No excuse for what he did and I find it amazing that he's going to be back so soon (at all!)
    Dignity all with Strauss.

  • I say Collier is pathetic, does any body in the whole world will accept his explanations for KP's conduct? Does ECB think we are all fools? OK keep him in the team that is the only way England going to win anything, but to come up with this childish explanations are shameful

  • There are several possible interpretations of this saga.

    1) Pietersen's explanation - the main conclusion would be KP is incredibly stupid.
    2) The ECB view. The main conclusion would be KP is incredibly stupid.
    3) The 'clique' view. The main conclusion would be KP is incredibly stupid.
    4) Piers Morgan's view. The main conclusion would be KP is incredibly stupid.


    Judge for yourself ;-)

  • "And the England cricket chief added that the South Africans had to shoulder some responsibility for prompting him to send the texts."

    David Collier, If you think that any blame should be placed with the SA team then you need to think again, get a grip of the discipline within the team, and get a grip of reality.

  • No one else is to be blamed but KP & ECB. ECB for accepting KP to play with a SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT. And KP for being a PRAT with no class

  • Who the hell is this Norman Collier bloke, never heard of him.
    Must be some lacky of Lord KP I presume. Has he got approval from the Greatest Batsman Who Ever Lived to speak on his behalf? Seems to be insulting the Great One's vast intellect to me, I think Lord KP should sack him.

  • So what Collier is trying to say is that KP should be forgiven because he can't think for himself? Who is the least intelligent between these two circus acts?

  • This sounds like something out of a playground...

    Think ECB and that South African, Peterson need to grow up...stop being so childish and get on with it.

    The problem is...they all love the attention - just like my 3 year old!

  • Some South Africans have to shoulder some responsibility?? There is no evidence to these claims, I feel its a desperate plot to get him back into the side by claiming KP is a victim. The idiot should know better than to take the bait, if these rumours are actually true which I doubt.

  • There's only one South African to blame in this childish saga...Kevin Pietersen.

  • How about this for an idea. If you are born in a country you can play for it, if you aren't then you can't.

    Loads of grief avoided in loads of sports.

  • #46 Except, presumably, you? And Collier had to say something stupid, otherwise what would the BBC's Pietersen blog have been out today??

    Meanwhile... a view of South Africans in general, courtesy the BBC ;-)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v439zTOJVho

  • "...But we shouldn't blame the South Africans, we should be above that, we should be able to deal with that and move forward."

    What a clown Collier is - I heard there is an opening on the Muppet Show for him.

  • KP has to shoulder responsibility for what happened and I don't think that claiming provocation is jusifiable.

    Of course one of his SAF 'mates' passed on the text to the media or to the SAF management and he was stitched up nicely.

    However he has still got only himself to blame.

  • Regardless of an apology, Pieterson should have no further involvement with English cricket. He's a disgrace to himself and both of his countries and the ECB have only themselves to blame for perpetuating this story by allowing him back into the fold. Strauss deserves so much better than this, both the ECB and Pieterson should be ashamed.

  • I wouldn't accept these excuses from my nine year old and I certainly wouldn't accept it from a grown man in his 30s. The longer this saga goes on the more embarrassing it becomes. Personally I would sack the whole lot of them because they have shown they are not fit and proper people to be in charge of or represent English cricket.

  • The only one to blame is Pietersen.
    Why would he conveniently delete the texts if he was not the guilty party.
    Typical English. Always passing the buck.
    Just grow up and face the music.

  • Agree 100% Clint - this is ridiculous. This just keeps an episode in the news that Collier should be doing everything he can to make fade away

  • What have we learned from the T20 contest? Australia need a new T20 captain, England need a new T20 squad, Sri Lanka still bottle big occasions, Pakistan and Windies are better than we all thought they were, India and SA are nothing like as good as we all thought they were. The format needs a rethink. Re. KP - not worth the trouble and England and Wales CB need a new CEO! Did I miss anything?

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